Eddie's Test, February 10-16, 1933

The 1932/33 'Bodyline' Ashes series is arguably the most famous series in cricket history.

But the biggest controversies regarding the English tactics were reserved for the third Test in Adelaide.

The fourth Test at the Gabba, however, was famous for a different reason.

Bradman, Larwood, Hammond, Ponsford, Jardine and Woodfull were all there, but the 1933 Gabba Test match belonged to Eddie Paynter.

Hit hard by acute tonsillitis, Paynter was lying in a hospital bed for most the first three days of the Test (it ran over seven days, including a rest day).

Australia probably thought it was well into the England tail when Hammy Love caught Gubby Allen off the bowling of Tim Wall.

But, with England at 6 for 216 in its first innings, 124 behind the Australian total, the hosts saw Paynter make his way out of the dressing rooms and out to the crease.

He batted for almost four hours for a then highest Test score of 83 - ably aided by a stingy 157-ball 23 from Hedley Verity - as England reached 356.

He fielded in particularly humid conditions in Australia's second innings (against doctor's orders) before coming out at number six in England's, winning the match - and, bizarrely for a Brisbane Test, the series - with a six off Stan McCabe.

Thommo must, November 29-December 4, 1974

Jeff Thomson was more or less an unknown entity to England when he was selected for the first Test of the 1974/75 Ashes series.

He made a controversial start to his career against the old enemy when he said in an interview prior to the game, "I enjoy hitting a batsman more than getting him out. I like to see blood on the pitch."

And the 'If Lillee don't get you, Thommo must' national tour began in earnest once England went out to bat on day two.

Tony Greig scored a brilliant century in the first innings under a constant barrage from Thomson and Dennis Lillee (Greig and opener Dennis Amiss started wearing helmets a few years later).

Thomson ended the first innings with the wickets of England's top three, but it was in the second he did the bulk of his damage.

Thomson's bouncer was clearly lethal but without a good full ball, bowling short can be predictable and often ineffective.

The Queenslander bowled first-innings centurion Greig with a brilliant yorker for 2 - one of his six second-innings scalps.

Australia won the Test by 166 runs and Thomson finished with match figures of 9 for 105.

From there, Hayden took over. The English were chasing leather all day as the hulking Queensland opener reached his century in just 126 balls - the sixth-fastest Australian ton in Ashes history.

On his home ground, Hayden walked to the dressing rooms 186 not out at stumps - sharing a 272-run second-wicket partnership with fellow centurion Ricky Ponting along the way - to lead the hosts to a day-one score of 2 for 364.

Andrew Caddick eventually had Hayden caught behind the next morning for 197 runs off 268 balls and the first innings ended with Australia on 492, but there was more Hussain torture still to come.

England reached 325 in reply before Hayden hammered 103 in the second innings en route to Australia declaring at 5 for 296 - a lead of 463.

In the ultimate humiliation, England was all out for 79 in its second innings as Australia claimed a 384-run victory.

He's Harmy-less, November 23-27, 2006

Never before or since has one delivery been so reflective of the series as a whole as Steve Harmison's opening salvo in 2006.

The 2006/07 series was one of the most anticipated in Ashes history.

After bowling brilliantly along with Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard to help England secure the Urn in 2005, Harmison was considered a major strike weapon for the Poms in the return bout Down Under.

But it did not take long to realise the big paceman was uncomfortable away from home as he launched the first delivery of the series to Flintoff at second slip.

It was an omen for the English side.

A homesick Harmison only took 10 wickets at an average of 61.4 through the five matches as England went down in a humiliating 5-0 whitewash.

Third time's a charm, November 25-29, 2010

Coming off a demoralising series loss in England, Australia was looking to get off to a good start in the first Test at the Gabba in 2010.

England was in a strong position late on day one with rock-solid Alastair Cook (who went on to record the fifth most runs in an Ashes series) and Ian Bell at the crease - 4 for 197.

Enter Peter Siddle. Celebrating his 26th birthday, he had Alastair Cook caught at slip. Matthew Prior was the next man in and promptly out, clean bowled.

Stuart Broad, already not loved by Australian crowds, was the man tasked with negotiating the hat-trick ball.

A textbook in-swinging yorker cannoned into Broad's foot and Aleem Dar had no doubt it was going on to hit.

Broad burned a review which only served to prove just how plumb he was.

It was something of a coming-out party for the Victorian who had previously been seen as more of a support bowler after struggling with his length early in his career.

Honourable mentions

Walters' ton on debut

With Australia at 4 for 125 in the first Test of the 1965/66 series, a 19-year-old Doug Walters strode to the crease to join opener Bill Lawry.

The debutant scored 155 runs as part of a 187-run stand with Lawry, who scored 166 runs of his own, as Australia reached 5 for 443 before declaring.

Unfortunately, snail-paced innings from Geoff Boycott and Ken Barrington led England to a draw.

Keith scores stacks

Keith Stackpole only averaged 37.42 in Tests but was nonetheless a very real threat when England came over for the 1970/71 Ashes series.

He plundered the English attack to the tune of 207 runs in Australia's first innings. His second-innings 8 off 82 balls was, however, somewhat less entertaining as the match petered out to a draw.

Wessels goes close

His batting may have been ugly but Kepler Wessels made a mighty first impression on the Ashes landscape in the second Test of the 1982/83 series.

The South African-born opener took to two of England's best in Bob Willis and Ian Botham as he made his way to a monstrous 162 in his Test debut - just three runs shy of Charles Bannerman's record for the highest score on Australian debut.

Wessels' man-of-the-match performance led Australia to a seven-wicket victory and Australia went on to win the series to halt England's run of three consecutive series wins.